Nintendo DS pirate gets 2.5 years jailtime in Japan

For setting up website illegally distributing Nintendo games

Nintendo is getting serious about the rampant piracy problem it faces with illegal online sharing of DS and DSi games, with the latest news that a Japanese DS software pirate has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.

The Kyoto District Court decreed that 38 year-old Yoshiaki Asagiri, should spend the time in jail for distributing DS games online without permission, thus breaking Japanese copyright law.

Illegal distribution

Kotaku helpfully translates the reports coming out of Japan, noting that "Asagiri has been sentenced to 2 and half years in prison and fined approximately US$21,000, plus an additional fine of $75,000.

"Late last year, Asagiri was arrested for creating a website that made over 1,000 DS games available for download," that report adds.

The sentencing judge said Asagiri's crime "tramples" the effort of those copyright holders that have spent considerable amounts of time, money (and blood, sweat and tears) creating games for Nintendo's hugely popular handheld.